The invention relates to a device for processing clips, screws, bolts, rivets, blind rivets, nuts, blind nuts or similar connecting elements.
Processing or setting tools for processing connecting elements, also in the form of clips or clamping nuts from a magazine, are known in the art and offer the general advantage that during processing, a connection to a feed unit supplying the connecting elements via relatively heavy and rigid supply hoses supplying the connecting elements is not necessary, so that such setting tools can be designed to be lightweight and convenient, making them very user friendly.
The disadvantage of such pre-existing setting tools, however, is that they require connecting elements in belt form, i.e. in a form in which the connecting elements are literally provided on a belt made of a suitable material, for example of plastic and/or paper and then separated from this belt during processing in the setting tool, or are connected with each other to form a unit accommodated in the magazine of the setting tool, in the form of material sections that can be separated during processing. This belt method not only involves additional expense, but also in many ways severely limits the freedom of the design of the connecting elements, in particular for adaptation to special requirements.
Also known are setting heads, in particular for use in automatic systems, which are fed with the connecting elements to be processed by means of flexible supply lines or hoses, which are constantly connected with the respective setting head. For many applications, these setting heads cannot be used or can be used only to a limited extent, especially if the processing or setting of connecting elements needs to take place manually, i.e. through manual operation of the setting head. The relatively heavy weight and the limited flexibility of the supply line connected with the setting head for feeding the connecting elements restricts and impedes the handling of these units.
It is an object of the invention is to present a device which avoids the aforementioned disadvantages and enables processing of connecting elements provided as bulk material in a simplified manner.